Police Officers of the Month - November 2007

Police Officer Gubitosi is a sniper-trained Marine who served a tour of duty in fighting in Iraq.

On a fall morning Police Officer Gubitosi was on patrol with a couple of his fellow officers from the 76th Precinct, Anti-Crime Unit, when they received a radio call about a man had assaulted a woman at the intersection of Smith Street and Butler. A male subject had grabbed a woman from behind and placed a serrated knife across the back of her neck. He said to the terrified victim "if they kill me, I won't have to hurt you".

When the officers arrived, he threw the woman to the ground and ran along Smith Street armed with the knife. Officer Gubitosi chased after him on foot. At the corner of Baltic Street, the male subject grabbed another woman as she was exiting a supermarket. He placed her in a headlock and pressed a knife to her head. The suicidal psycho positioned himself behind the second victim, using her as a shield. He shouted out "Kill me! Kill me now! I want to die!"

Officer Gubitosi and the other Police Officers had surrounded the subject and opened a dialogue with him. They ordered him to drop the knife. But the deranged male refused and continued to threaten the woman's life.

The situation continued for several minutes and the male subject refused to reason with the officer's pleas for him to release the terrified woman.

After exhausting all options, and fearing that the subject would kill his hostage, a Lieutenant that had responded to the scene concluded that the captive was in too much danger for them to wait any longer.

The Lieutenant asked the officers if they had a clear shot. Officer Gubitosi was the only one who felt he did.

The Lieutenant responded, "Take it" and Police Officer Gubitosi fired one round from his weapon and shot the subject in the neck, killing him.

The frantic woman was unharmed and she met Officer Gubitosi after the incident declaring him her hero and stating, "I'm here because of you".

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly praised Officer Gubitosi saying he, "demonstrated the utmost professionalism under extraordinary circumstances, and in doing so, saved a woman's life."

For his uncommon valor in protecting another human being, the Shields of Long Island are proud to name Police Officer Louis Gubitosi as our "Police Officer of the Month".